The present invention relates generally to fluid injector assemblies for drawing a first fluid into the flow of a second fluid, and in particular to an injector assembly which creates a vortex of the second fluid for drawing the first fluid into the flow of the second fluid.
Water treatment devices of the ion exchange type, often referred to as water softeners, typically include a tank having a resin bed through which hard water passes to exchange its hardness causing ions of calcium and magnesium for the sodium ions of the resin bed. Regeneration of the resin bed is periodically required to remove the accumulation of hardness causing ions and to replenish the supply of sodium ions. Regeneration is usually accomplished by flushing a brine solution from a brine tank through the resin bed. During regeneration a fluid such as unconditioned water flows through a chamber in an injector housing to the resin bed. The brine solution from the brine tank is in fluid communication with the chamber of the injector housing. The water flowing through the injector housing chamber draws the brine solution into the flow of the water and into the resin tank to regenerate the resin bed. In small water softeners, the rate of flow of the water through the injector housing is insufficient to begin or sustain the draw of the brine solution from the brine tank into the resin tank. The present invention provides a fluid injector assembly which provides a reliable draw of brine solution into the flow of water at low flow rates of the water.